2. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a magnetic recording and/or reproducing apparatus, such as a video tape recorder. More particularly, it relates to a magnetic recording and/or reproducing apparatus wherein the operations of vertically shifting the cassette holder supporting the tape cassette, shifting the reel block base plate provided with a reel block carrying the tape cassette relative to the rotary magnetic head device and of selecting the operating modes following the magnetic tape loading operation, may be performed by one and the same driving motor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known from the Japanese Laid-open Patent Publications Nos. 75456/1984 and 182544/1985 that the operations of mounting or attaching the tape cassette to a predetermined loading position and pulling out and loading the magnetic tape contained in the tape cassette to a predetermined tape route are performed by one and the same drive motor to simplify the loading system for the tape cassette and the magnetic tape, while reducing the overall size of the magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus, such as the video recorder.
However, with the apparatus shown in the above Patent Publications, only the operations of securing the tape cassette and loading the magnetic tape may be performed by one and the same electric motor.
There is commercially available a video tape recorder in which a magnetic tape having a tape width of 8 mm is used as the recording medium. With this type the video tape recorder, the magnetic tape as the recording medium has a reduced width, while the tape cassette accommodating the magnetic tape is extremely small in size, so that a further reduction in size of the recording and/or reproducing apparatus itself is required.
For satisfying the demand for reduction in size of the apparatus, there is proposed a video tape recorder in which the reel block base plate including the reel blocks carrying the tape cassette may be reciprocated relative to the rotary magnetic head device. In such a video tape recorder, the reel block base plate is displaced away from the rotary magnetic head device during attachment and detachment of the tape cassette. On the other hand, during magnetic tape loading, the reel block base plate is drawn near to the rotary magnetic head device to permit a reliable and facilitated tape cassette attachment operation, while the magnetic tape loading area is reduced to simplify and reduce the size of the loading system while simultaneously reducing the size of the apparatus.
When the loading system as shown in the above Laid-open Patent Publication is applied to the above described video tape recorder, means need be provided for shifting the reel block base plate. It is also necessary to provide changeover operating means for selecting one of the constant speed running, rapid feed-and rewind modes for the magnetic tape, following magnetic tape loading, and separate drive means for switching the changeover operating means. Hence, it is not possible to reduce the size of the video tape recorder sufficiently in keeping with an extremely small size tape cassette used as the recording medium.